Nowadays kids and teens develop quite early a well-marked brand awareness. All the time there are new (luxury-) labels that are trendy with regard to clothing, accessories, electronic devices etc. Unfortunately, a well-marked sense of guilt concerning fakes and copyright infringements often does not come along.

However, plagiarisms, fakes, pirated material (CDs...) and illegal downloads are no trivial offence. Inherent to product- and brand piracy are often degrading working conditions, huge economic losses on part of the brand name producers, the loss of jobs and apprenctice positions. Also, due to inferior quality and a lack of safety controls cheap copies can be very dangerous for the consumer.

As markets regulate themselves by supply and demand each consumer bears considerable responsibility, i.e. users, who deliberately purchase counterfeit products also support child labour and criminal business practices.

Higher appreciation for the original product / performance

• The process from a first bright idea to the market-ready product or to a movie / music album is often very time consuming and costly
• Product development requires creativity, experience and know-how
• quality and safety are inherent to the original product – however, that comes at a price

Pupils and students are getting a hands-on sensitisation in guided tours through our Museum Plagiarius in Solingen, Germany. We look forward to your visit.

Furthermore, diverse organisations and associations provide important information and teaching materials concerning intellectual property on their websites and thereby support the sensitisation of the public.